973.7l.63 

A3B8lm 


Brown  Universi ty 

The  McLellan  Lincoln  collection 


LINCOLN  ROOM 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
LIBRARY 


MEMORIAL 

the  Class  of  1901 

founded  by 

HARLAN  HOYT  HORNER 

and 

HENRIETTA  CALHOUN  HORNER 


TheMcLellan  Lincoln  Collection 
at  Brown  University 


& 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2012  with  funding  from 

University  of  Illinois  Urbana-Champaign 


http://archive.org/details/mclellanlincolncOObrow 


The  McLellan  Lincoln  Rooms 
at  Brown  University 


McLellan  Lincoln  Collection  Publication  II 


THE  MCLELLAN  LINCOLN 
COLLECTION 

AT  BROWN  UNIVERSITY 


A  SKETCH 


By 
ESTHER  COWLES  CUSHMAN 

Custodian 


PROVIDENCE 

PUBLISHED  BY  THE  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 

1928 


REPRINTED  WITH  SOME  CHANGES 

FROM  THE  AMERICAN  COLLECTOR 

FOR  SEPTEMBER,    1927 


E.  L.  FREEMAN  COMPANY 
PRINTERS  AND  PUBLISHERS 
PROVIDENCE,   RHODE   ISLAND 


V 


A3SgIv^ 

TJbe  McLellan  Lincoln  Collection 
at  Brown  University 

In  the  John  Hay  Library  of  Brown  University  is  one 
of  the  world's  greatest  collections  of  Lincolniana.  It 
occupies  two  rooms,  which  have  been  specially  fitted 
up  for  its  accommodation;  it  has  its  own  trained 
custodian;  and,  while  it  welcomes  the  casual  visitor, 
it  has  been  built  up  and  is  administrated  for  the  benefit 
of  serious  students  of  the  life,  character  and  work  of 
Abraham  Lincoln. 

Charles  Woodbury  McLellan,  the  originator  of  the 
Collection,  was  born  in  Beverly,  Mass.,  in  1836.  At 
the  age  of  twenty  he  went  to  Springfield,  111.,  where  he 
was  four  years  in  a  bank,  and  made  Lincoln's  acquaint- 
ance. Many  years  later  he  noticed  Herndon's  life  of 
Lincoln  in  a  bookstore,  and,  as  he  had  known  both 
men,  he  bought  and  read  it.  This  led  him  to  begin 
collecting  lives  of  Lincoln.  When  the  first  bibli- 
ography by  Judge  Fish  was  issued  in  1900,  he  began 
trying  to  get  all  the  items  there  listed.  Once  started 
on  collecting  Lincolniana,  he  could  find  no  place  to 
stop;  and  when  he  retired  from  business  at  the  age  of 
seventy,  he  devoted  his  remaining  twelve  years  to  the 
care  of  his  estate  in  Champlain,  N.  Y.,  and  to  his 

[3] 


The  McLellan  Lincoln  Collection 

Lincoln  Collection.  His  son  Hugh  took  a  great  interest 
in  the  collection,  and  during  the  later  years  did  as 
much  as  his  father  in  its  development. 

At  this  time  Mr.  McLellan  was  one  of  five  friendly 
rivals  who  helped  one  another  in  forming  their  five 
great  Lincoln  collections.  Of  these  Major  Lambert 
died  first,  leaving  instructions  in  his  will  that  his 
collection  should  be  sold  at  public  auction,  to  give 
other  collectors  a  chance  to  obtain  his  treasures.  The 
sale  took  place  in  1 914,  and  a  number  of  the  books  and 
pamphlets  at  Brown  bear  the  note:  "Bought  at  the 
Lambert  sale."  The  collection  of  another  of  the  five, 
Judd  Stewart,  was  bought  by  Henry  E.  Huntington, 
and  is  now  in  his  great  library  at  San  Gabriel,  Cal. 
A  third,  that  of  Judge  Fish  of  Minneapolis,  is  still  in 
the  possession  of  his  family.  The  fourth  collection 
was  made  by  Mr.  Joseph  B.  Oakleaf,  of  Moline,  111., 
the  only  one  of  the  five  still  living.  He  has  recently 
published  a  bibliography  giving  titles  additional  to 
those  noted  by  Fish.  The  fifth,  the  McLellan  Collec- 
tion, was  bought  in  1923  by  Mr.  John  D.  Rockefeller, 
Jr.,  and  placed  in  the  John  Hay  Library  at  Brown 
University. 

Many  examples  of  the  friendship  existing  between 
these  collectors  are  found  in  the  collection  at  Brown. 
A  rare  life  of  Lincoln  in  Greek  has  belonged  to  three  of 
them.    On  the  first  leaf  is  a  note  by  Mr.  McLellan: 

[4] 


at  Brown  University 

"Lot  412  Lambert  sale."  Inserted  opposite  is  the 
following  letter  to  Major  Lambert,  dated  Dec.  30, 
1 910.  "Dear  Major: — I  am  sending  you  to-day,  so 
that  you  may  cross  off  the  item  during  this  year,  a  copy 
of  the  Greek  life.  I  hope  that  you  receive  it  tomorrow, 
and  as  to  reimbursing  me  for  it,  be  assured  that  the 
pleasure  I  will  have  from  knowing  that  whenever  you 
show  this  volume  you  will  have  to  pay  a  tribute  to  your 
hated  rival's  ability  will  more  than  offset  its  price,  and 
besides  I  feel  that  I  am  so  indebted  to  you  that  it  is 
only  proper  that  you  accept  it  with  my  best  compli- 
ments. Yours  very  truly,  Judd  Stewart."  Mr.  Stewart 
had  a  number  of  books  privately  printed.  These  he 
apparently  sent  to  the  others,  as  the  Brown  collection 
has  many  inscribed  on  the  fly  leaf,  "Chas.  W.  Mc- 
Lellan,  Compliments  of  Judd  Stewart."  In  a  volume 
of  Lincoln  addresses  before  the  Minnesota  commandery 
of  the  Loyal  Legion,  and  in  several  other  books,  appears 
the  inscription:  "Compliments  of  Daniel  Fish."  Mr. 
Oakleaf  has  published  several  addresses,  and  these 
were  sent  with  his  regards;  as  were  also  those  published 
by  Major  Lambert.  After  the  Fish  bibliography  was 
published  in  1906  the  five  collectors  pooled  all  their 
findings  and  Judge  Fish  sent  to  each,  from  time  to 
time,  typewritten  copies  of  all  new  titles.  This  supple- 
ment was  incorporated  into  the  Oakleaf  bibliography 
in  1925. 

[5] 


The  McLellan  Lincoln  Collection 

When  Mr.  John  D.  Rockefeller,  Jr.  decided  that  the 
building  erected  as  a  memorial  to  Lincoln's  private 
secretary,  John  Hay,  ought  to  have  a  Lincoln  collec- 
tion, and  placed  the  McLvellan  Collection  here,  he  had 
a  room  specially  fitted  up  for  it.  Later  he  made 
provision  for  adding  to  it,  and  he  has  recently  had  a 
second  room  fitted  up  to  take  care  of  its  growth.  It 
now  consists  of  notable  collections  along  several  lines, 
making  it  as  a  whole  perhaps  the  greatest  sfngle 
DincoLn  collection  extant,  rivaling  or  even  surpassing 
that  in  the  Library  of  Congress.  In  the  field  of  books 
and  pamphlets  it  contains  nearly  all  the  items  listed 
in  the  bibliographies,  as  well  as  some  unlisted  and 
much  supplementary  material.  In  manuscripts  it 
ranks  high,  containing  over  650  letters,  notes,  legal 
cases,  etc.,  all  in  Lincoln's  handwriting.  The  portrait 
collection  is  very  large,  and  contains  some  unique 
pieces.  The  medal  collection  is  the  third  largest  in 
existence,  and  the  largest  in  a  public  institution. 
Among  the  pieces  of  sheet  music  are  found  nearly  all 
that  are  known.  There  are  many  broadsides,  including 
rarities  old  and  new. 

Among  the  treasures  of  the  McLellan  Collection  are 
some  books  not  possessed  by  its  rivals.  One  of  these 
is  the  resolutions  passed  by  the  Belgian  chamber  of 
representatives  on  the  death  of  Lincoln,  published 
separately  as  "Extrait  du  compte  rendu  de  la  seance 

[6] 


at  Brown  University 

du  29  avril  1865. "  Another  is  a  tiny  four-page  pam- 
phlet, 4x7  cm.,  "Life  of  Abe  Lincoln,  of  Illinois,  i860. 
Printed  for  the  Publishers."  It  is  written  in  a 
humorous  vein,  making  fun  of  the  homely  rail-splitter. 
Two  very  rare  pamphlets  are  the  little  life  by  John 
Locke  Scripps,  one  published  as  Tribune  tract,  no.  6, 
by  the  New  York  Tribune,  the  other  by  the  Chicago 
Tribune.  Another  rare  item  is  one  of  the  twenty-five 
copies  printed  of  the  oration  on  the  death  of  Lincoln 
by  William  Binney,  Esq.,  Providence,  1865. 

With  a  book  may  sometimes  be  found  correspondence 
relating  to  the  obtaining  of  that  particular  volume. 
Mr.  McLellan  was  searching  for  a  sermon  on  the  death 
of  Lincoln  preached  by  Rev.  William  W.  Hicks,  in 
Frederick  City,  Md.  He  had  written  to  an  acquaint- 
ance in  that  city  who  replied  that  he  had  tried  time 
and  again  to  locate  a  copy,  without  success,  until 
finally,  during  repairs  to  the  church  in  191 1,  the 
cornerstone  was  opened,  and  there  a  copy  was  found. 
This  he  hoped  to  obtain.  A  note  in  Mr.  McLellan's 
handwriting  states  "Gave  $25.00  to  the  church  for 
this."  There  is  an  address  on  Lincoln  by  Henry 
Fargues,  formerly  a  pastor  of  the  Swiss  and  French 
church  in  Philadelphia.  Before  1904  this  was  known 
to  bibliographers  only  through  the  catalogue  of  the 
British  Museum.  Mr.  McLellan  in  some  way  learned 
the  author's  address  and  wrote  to  him.     He  received 


[7 


The  McLellan  Lincoln  Collection 

an  answer,  dated  Oct.  20,  1904,  from  his  son,  a  physi- 
cian in  Nantes,  France.  Dr.  Fargues  sent  a  copy  of 
the  rare  pamphlet,  a  photograph  of  his  father  who  had 
recently  died,  and  a  manuscript  account,  written  by 
his  father  in  French,  of  his  impressions  of  Lincoln 
whom  he  had  seen  in  Philadelphia  in  1861  on  his  way 
to  Washington. 

Another  group  of  books  has  been  rendered  unique 
by  extra-illustration.  One  of  them,  the  Nicolay  and 
Hay  life  of  Lincoln  in  ten  volumes,  has  been  enlarged 
by  inserting  many  portraits  of  people  mentioned  and 
letters  written  by  them.  This  set  it  is,  of  course 
impossible  to  duplicate.  The  life  of  Lincoln  by  Miss 
Tarbell  in  two  volumes,  large  paper,  has  been  treated 
in  the  same  way,  and  it  was  found  that  the  four  notes 
by  Lincoln  himself  that  were  inserted,  had  not  been 
published.  Another  little  book,  "  The  Picture  and  the 
Men",  which  describes  Carpenter's  painting  of  Lincoln 
and  his  cabinet,  has  been  inlaid  in  much  larger  leaves, 
illustrated  with  many  portraits  of  people  mentioned, 
and  bound  in  morocco  to  make  an  impressive  book 
many  times  the  size  of  the  original.  A  recent  addition 
is  the  life  of  Lincoln  by  Dr.  William  E.  Barton  with 
illustrations  added  by  Goodspeed  of  Boston  to  make 
four  volumes,  which  have  been  beautifully  bound  by 
Sangorski  and  SutclifTe  of  London. 

The  Collection  is  very  rich  in  poetry  on  Lincoln, — 

[8] 


at  Brown  University 

poems  published  separately,  both  books  and  single 
sheets,  as  well  as  collections  containing  a  poem  or 
two  on  Lincoln  not  published  elsewhere.  One  especial 
treasure  is  a  signed  copy,  in  Lowell's  own  handwriting, 
of  the  stanza  on  Lincoln  in  his  Commemoration  Ode. 
The  ode  itself  is  represented  by  a  first  edition  inscribed 
and  presented  by  Lowell  to  Edward  Everett  Hale. 
There  is  also  a  copy  of  "The  Victorious",  a  poem 
written  by  M.  B.  Bird  after  Lincoln's  assassination, 
and  published  at  Kingston,  Jamaica,  in  1866.  The 
McLellan  Collection,  supplemented  by  the  Harris  Col- 
lection of  American  Poetry,  under  the  same  roof, 
probably  contains  the  largest  number  of  poems  on 
Lincoln  assembled  in  any  one  place. 

The  most  interesting  of  the  later  publications  on 
Lincoln  are  those  that  employ  some  phase  of  Lincoln's 
character  to  emphasize  a  lesson  which  the  writer  is 
seeking  to  impart.  This  aspect  of  Lincoln  homage, 
though  sometimes  fantastic,  serves  to  illustrate  the 
many-sided  greatness  of  the  man.  One  curious  fact 
is  noticeable:  both  sides  in  many  controversies  use 
him  to  support  their  arguments:  "wets"  and  "drys," 
atheists  and  Christians,  Democrats  and  Republicans. 

In  addition  to  these  slighter  works,  are  new 
biographies,  such  as  that  by  Carl  Sandburg.  Also 
careful  studies,  such  as  the  little  book,  "Lincoln  in 
1858",  by  Paul  Angle,  secretary  of  the  Lincoln  Cen- 

[9] 


The  McLellan  Lincoln  Collection 

tennial  Association  of  Springfield,  111.,  "Abraham 
Lincoln  in  Peoria",  by  B.  C.  Bryner,  and  "Personal 
recollections  of  Abraham  Lincoln",  by  R.  W.  Mc- 
Bride,  all  published  in  1926.  Dr.  Barton's  "A 
Beautiful  Blunder"  sums  up  his  painstaking  work  on 
the  history  of  the  much  discussed  letter  to  Mrs.  Lydia 
Bixby.  One  of  the  latest  selections  from  Lincoln's 
works  is  that  edited  by  N.  W.  Stephenson  and  pub- 
lished by  Scribner.  Mr.  Stephenson  has  also  recently 
brought  out  a  different  sort  of  book,  which  he  calls 
"The  Autobiography  of  Abraham  Lincoln".  In  it  he 
has  compiled  an  account  of  Lincoln's  life  as  told  in 
selections  from  his  own  writings.  In  the  field  of  fiction 
dealing  with  Lincoln,  Mrs.  Morrow's  "Forever  Free" 
is  a  recent  example,  and  is  written  with  knowledge  and 
literary  skill. 

A  life  of  Lincoln  has  often  been  translated  into 
several  foreign  languages.  The  life  by  Thayer  is  found 
in  the  McLellan  Collection  in  five  different  translations, 
including  Hawaiian  and  Modern  Greek.  Some  of  the 
addresses  of  Emanuel  Hertz  have  been  translated  into 
at  least  twelve  foreign  languages,  to  the  end,  as  he 
writes,  "that  some  day  on  February  12th  of  each 
succeeding  year  the  life  and  the  achievements  of 
Abraham  Lincoln  may  be  featured  in  every  daily  and 
weekly  newspaper  throughout  the  civilized  world". 
Of   late    foreign    authors    have   been    writing    about 

do] 


at  Brown  University 

Lincoln  in  their  own  languages.  A  life  in  Icelandic 
by  Bjarni  Jonsson  is  in  the  collection.  Another  in 
German,  by  Dr.  Monteglas  is  the  first  life  written  by  a 
German  author.  In  this  connection  should  be  men- 
tioned also  Lord  Charnwood's  Abraham  Lincoln,  in 
which,  as  the  Nation  said,  the  author  "has  given  us 
not  only  the  portrait  but  the  philosophy  of  the  greatest 
of  American s". 

In  the  portrait  division  is  to  be  found  a  great  variety, 
from  early  prints,  showing  Lincoln  without  a  beard,  to 
recent  halftones  and  etchings.  Mr.  McLellan  had  an 
excellent  collection  of  engravings  largely  published 
during  Lincoln's  lifetime  or  soon  after  his  death. 
Since  the  Collection  came  to  Brown  a  number  of 
etchings  mostly  made  during  the  last  twenty  years,  as 
well  as  other  engravings,  have  been  added.  Recently 
the  Collection  acquired  the  Lincoln  portraits  gathered 
by  Mr.  Warren  C.  Crane  of  New  York  City.  He  had 
the  advantage  over  Mr.  McLellan  in  that  he  began 
collecting  during  Lincoln's  lifetime.  For  many  years 
he  has  been  a  connoisseur  of  engravings,  and  has 
searched  the  shops  of  both  this  country  and  Europe. 
One  of  his  finds  abroad  is  an  old  German  colored 
lithograph  published  about  1861,  showing  Abraham 
Lincoln  as  President  of  the  United  States  and  Jefferson 
Davis  as  President  of  the  Confederate  States.  This 
Mr.   Crane  has  never  seen  in  any  other  collection. 

[Hi 


The  McLellan  Lincoln  Collection 

The  McLellan  Collection  was  rich  in  examples  of 
engravings  in  several  states.  The  Crane  Collection 
added  some  unique  copies  in  this  field.  When  the 
library  of  J.  C.  Buttre,  who  engraved  portraits  of  most 
of  the  famous  people  of  his  time,  was  sold  after  his 
death,  Mr.  Crane  obtained  a  portfolio  containing  the 
only  print  made  from  the  early  state  of  many  of  his 
engravings.  These  portraits  of  Lincoln  and  other  Civil 
War  notables  came  to  us.  They  are  often  finer  than 
the  finished  engravings,  showing  a  quality  of  expression 
that  is  sometimes  obscured  in  the  later  states. 

Noteworthy  among  the  portraits  is  a  negative  made 
by  Gardner,  August  9,  1862.  In  his  diary  John  Hay 
wrote  under  that  date:  "This  being  Sunday  and  a 
fine  day  I  went  down  with  the  President  to  have  his 
picture  taken  at  Gardner's.  He  was  in  very  good 
spirits."  The  picture  reflects  this  mood.  It  is  very 
clear,  an  enlargement  bringing  out  the  lines  in  Lincoln's 
face  and  showing  the  name  of  the  newspaper  in  his 
hand,  The  Sunday  Morning  Chronicle. 

One  unique  treasure  in  the  collection  is  the  statuette 
made  by  Truman  H.  Bartlett  as  a  portrait  study  of 
Lincoln.  This  was  exhibited  in  Paris  at  the  salon 
of  1877.  No  cast  of  it  is  known.  In  this  sketch,  as 
he  calls  it,  the  sculptor  gives  us  the  Lincoln  of  slender 
bones  but  powerful  muscles,  standing  firmly  on  both 
feet.    This   agrees   with   the   description   of    careful 


at  Brown  University 

observers.  The  surgeon  who  examined  him  after  he 
was  shot  said  that  he  had  rarely  seen  a  body  so  per- 
fectly proportioned.  There  are  a  number  of  other 
small  statues  and  busts  in  the  collection,  among  them 
the  Rogers  group,  "The  Council  of  War",  and  two 
recent  full  length  statuettes  by  Cyrus  Dallin. 

The  manuscript  division  is  of  surpassing  richness. 
In  the  original  McLellan  Collection  the  earliest  docu- 
ment was  a  certificate  of  purchase  of  land  in  Kentucky 
by  Lincoln's  grandfather  of  the  same  name,  who  was 
shot  by  an  Indian.  This  is  dated  May  29,  1780. 
Next  in  date  is  a  leaf  from  Lincoln's  copybook  made 
when  he  was  seventeen.  Next  is  one  of  the  rare 
original  surveys,  made  by  Lincoln.  It  is  dated  March 
10,  1835.  At  that  time  he  had  been  working  as  a 
surveyor  a  little  over  a  year.  Then  from  1838  on, 
with  the  exception  of  a  single  year,  there  is  something 
for  every  year  of  his  life.  Among  the  early  examples 
are  several  legal  cases.  The  earliest,  dated  1838,  is  of 
particular  interest  in  that  Stephen  A.  Douglas  was  the 
opposing  attorney.  A  very  fine  letter,  written  before 
he  was  president,  is  that  to  Henry  L.  Pierce  and  others 
concerning  the  principles  of  Jefferson.  In  it  he  likens 
the  two  political  parties  to  two  drunken  men  who  were 
fighting.  In  the  end  each  had  fought  himself  out  of 
his  own  greatcoat  and  into  that  of  the  other  man. 
Another  letter  in  1862  to  Lady  Villiers  could  not  be 


13 


The  McLellan  Lincoln  Collection 

improved  by  the  most  polished  courtier.  It  reads  as 
follows:  "Mr.  Lyon  has  informed  me  that  Lady 
Villiers  has  expressed  a  wish  for  my  autograph.  I  beg 
that  her  Ladyship  accept  the  assurance  of  my  sincere 
gratification  at  this  opportunity  of  subscribing  myself, 
Very  truly,  Her  Ladyship's  obedient  servant,  A. 
Lincoln." 

One  very  important  document  is  a  contract  made 
between  Lincoln  and  Theodore  Canisius,  the  publisher 
of  a  German  newspaper  in  Springfield.  The  document 
begins: — "This  instrument  witnesseth  that  the  Print- 
ing-press, german  types  &c.  purchased  of  John  Burk- 
hardt,  belong  to  Abraham  Lincoln;  that  Theodore 
Canissius  is  to  have  immediate  possession  of  them,  and 
is  to  commence  publishing  in  Springfield,  Illinois,  a 
Republican  newspaper,  to  be  chiefly  in  the  german 
language  .  .  .  issuing  weekly  or  oftener  .  .  . 
the  same  paper,  in  political  sentiment,  not  to  depart 
from  the  Philadelphia  and  Illinois  Republican  plat- 
forms ...  or  to  print  .  .  .  any  thing  opposed  to, 
or  designed  to  injure  the  Republican  party."  This  is 
all  in  Lincoln's  handwriting.  The  financial  part  of  the 
purchase  was  carried  through  by  Jacob  Bunn,  a  banker 
of  Springfield  and  a  financial  backer  of  Lincoln's 
presidential  campaign.  Only  a  very  few  of  Lincoln's 
intimate  and  most  trusted  friends  knew  of  his  owner- 
ship of  this  influential  paper.    None  of  the  biographers 

[14] 


at  Brown  University 

knew  of  it  until  Carl  Sandburg  found  the  document  in 
the  Hertz  collection.  The  late  Senator  Albert  J. 
Beveridge,  in  a  letter  which  accompanies  the  document, 
calls  it  "of  first  importance". 

Another  manuscript  of  especial  note  is  a  piece  of 
blotting  paper  such  as  comes  on  a  pad,  closely  written 
over  in  pencil  by  Lincoln.  On  this  he  was  trying  to 
work  out  some  of  the  problems  which  arose  from  the 
operation  of  the  draft.  A  very  fine  letter  is  to  Gen. 
Robert  Anderson,  the  hero  of  Fort  Sumter.  After  his 
surrender  of  the  fort  he  became  broken  in  body  and 
mind,  and  on  account  of  his  health  he  was  forced  to 
resign  his  post  in  Louisville,  Kentucky.  Lincoln  sent 
him  the  following  letter: — "Executive  Mansion,  Wash- 
ington, August  15,  1863.  My  dear  General  Anderson: 
I  have  been  through  the  War  Department  this  morning 
looking  up  your  case.  Section  20  of  'An  act  providing 
for  the  better  organization  of  the  Military  Establish- 
ment' Approved  August  3,  1861,  seems  to  leave  no 
discretion  to  President,  Secretary  of  War,  General-in- 
Chief,  or  any  one  else.  The  General-in-Chief,  how- 
ever says  that,  if  agreeable  to  you,  he  will  give  you 
command  of  Fort  Adams  (I  think)  at  New  Port,  R.  I. 
by  which  your  pay  will  be  the  same  as  if  this  law  did 
not  exist.  I  advise  you  to  try  it,  at  all  events.  Gen. 
Halleck  says  it  will  require  substantially  no  labor,  or 
thought,    whatever.    Please    telegraph    whether    you 

[is] 


The  McLellan  Lincoln  Collection 

conclude  to  try  it.  And  now  my  dear  General  allow 
me  to  assure  you  that  we  here  are  all  your  sincere 
friends.     Very  truly,  A.  Lincoln." 

In  the  fall  of  1926  there  were  added  to  the  Collection, 
through  the  generosity  of  Mr.  Rockefeller  and  other 
friends  of  Brown,  485  letters  written  by  Lincoln  but 
sent  by  telegraph.  Most  of  them  had  been  published, 
but  they  seem  to  have  been  known  only  from  the  copies 
of  the  telegrams  as  received,  and  not  from  the  originals 
which  were  used  at  the  sending  office.  This  is  shown 
by  various  small  discrepancies  between  the  manu- 
script and  the  published  form,  as  might  be  expected 
in  the  case  of  a  telegraph  message.  These  letters,  saved 
apparently  by  someone  in  the  telegraph  office  when 
they  were  discarded  from  the  files,  remained  unknown 
to  the  collectors  who  supposed  they  were  leaving  no 
corner  unsearched  for  Lincoln  material. 

Among  the  telegrams  are  many  to  different  generals 
on  war  matters;  some  of  a  political  nature  to  governors, 
members  of  Congress  and  others;  a  few  to  personal 
friends.  Nearly  all  these  were  on  the  nation's  business. 
Occasionally  there  is  one  on  family  matters,  such  as  the 
one  on  sending  a  draft  to  his  son  Robert,  in  college  at 
Harvard,  and  enquiring  for  his  health;  or  the  note 
advising  Mrs.  Lincoln  not  to  come  home  on  the  night 
train  as  it  was  too  cold.  Among  them  is  also  found  the 
announcement  to  the  country  of  the  victory  at  Gettys- 

[16I 


at  Brown  University 

burg.  This  is  signed  in  full,  as  also  the  Thanksgiving 
Proclamation  dated  Sept.  3,  1864. 

There  are  two  very  interesting  series  of  telegrams 
connected  with  Gettysburg  and  Vicksburg.  For  many 
months  Lincoln  had  been  sending  to  different  officers 
who  might  know  of  Grant's  campaign  around  Vicks- 
burg, asking  what  news  they  could  give  him.  Then 
while  the  siege  still  lasted,  came  the  threatened  invasion 
of  Pennsylvania  and  the  frantic  appeals  for  help  from 
citizens  of  that  state.  Lincoln's  telegrams  show  how 
he  tried  to  convince  them  that  the  plan  which  was  being 
carried  out  was  best  for  all  concerned.  An  earlier 
series  was  written  during  McClellan's  Peninsular  cam- 
paign; and  others  followed  relating  to  the  succeeding 
campaigns  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  Still  others 
deal  with  other  armies.  One  particularly  interesting 
group  consists  of  the  pardon  or  suspension  of  sentence 
in  the  case  of  many  soldiers  whom  Lincoln  did  not  feel 
justified  in  having  put  to  death. 

Among  these  telegrams  and  other  letters  and  notes 
in  the  Collection  it  was  found  that  there  were  forty- 
three  that  had  not  been  published.  These  with  six 
others  have  been  issued  in  a  book  of  seventy-two  pages 
under  the  title  "Lincoln  Letters  hitherto  Unpublished 
in  the  Library  of  Brown  University  and  other  Provi- 
dence Libraries". 

The  Lincoln  medals  make  another  group  of  great 

[17] 


The  McLellan  Lincoln  Collection 

interest.  The  earliest  medal  in  the  Collection  makes 
no  mention  of  Lincoln.  It  was  issued  in  i860,  perhaps 
before  Lincoln  was  nominated,  and  reads:  "Success 
to  Republican  Principles  ".  During  this  campaign  Lin- 
coln is  represented  as  the  rail-splitter  and  Honest 
Old  Abe.  On  all  but  one  his  head  is  shown  without  a 
beard.  Several  show  on  the  reverse  a  landscape  with 
the  rail-splitter  at  work.  Four  years  later,  at  the  time 
of  his  second  campaign,  the  tone  changes.  He  was  no 
longer  the  Westerner  known  only  by  hearsay,  but  had 
won  the  confidence  of  the  people  during  a  trying  period 
by  his  conduct  of  the  war.  On  the  1864  medals  we 
find  such  inscriptions  as:  "The  People's  Choice  for 
President";  "Lincoln  and  Liberty";  "Lincoln  and 
Union";  "Abraham  Lincoln,  Freedom,  Justice,  Truth". 
Many  of  the  early  medals  are  very  crude  in  workman- 
ship, though  some  are  beautiful.  Among  the  latter  is 
one  commemorating  emancipation  made  by  the  Swiss 
die-cutter,  Hughes  Bovy.  There  is  a  large  group  in 
memory  of  Lincoln,  struck  after  his  assassination. 
These  were  often  worn  on  a  ribbon  as  a  mourning 
badge.  In  this  group  is  found  a  bronze  replica  of  the 
gold  medal  given  to  Mrs.  Lincoln  by  the  French 
people.  From  the  time  of  his  death  to  the  present 
Lincoln's  head  has  been  used  on  medals  of  all  kinds. 
Some  were  used  at  conventions  or  expositions;  some 
were  given  for  prize  essays;    some  are  souvenirs  of 

[18I 


at  Brown  University 

different  cities;  some  are  advertising  pieces,  put  forth 
by  various  concerns.  In  1909,  the  one  hundredth 
anniversary  of  Lincoln's  birth,  many  of  all  kinds  were 
issued.  Among  them  are  found  the  beautiful  Grand 
Army  medal,  several  by  Roin6,  and  the  fine  head 
designed  by  Victor  Brenner,  which  was  accepted  for 
use  on  the  Lincoln  penny.  Shortly  after  the  Civil 
War  it  was  proposed  to  use  Lincoln's  head  on  a  coin; 
but  it  was  not  done  then,  as  some  Congressmen 
objected  because  Washington  had  refused  to  allow  his 
head  to  be  used.  It  was  principally  through  the  efforts 
of  President  Roosevelt  that,  in  the  Lincoln  centennial 
year,  all  objections  were  overcome,  and  for  the  first 
time  the  portrait  of  any  person  appeared  on  a  coin  of 
the  United  States. 

The  Collection  is  very  rich  in  Lincoln  music,  both  in 
sheet  music  form  and  in  broadside  song  sheets.  One 
of  the  earliest  pieces  of  sheet  music  is  the  "Wigwam 
Grand  March",  published  by  Ditson  in  i860.  This 
has  a  fine  portrait  of  Lincoln  without  a  beard.  All 
kinds  of  music  may  be  found,  ranging  from  minstrel 
songs,  such  as  "Abraham's  Daughter",  to  funeral 
marches  and  memorial  songs,  of  which  there  are  a 
great  number.  The  song  sheets  include  some  of  the 
same  songs,  also  a  number  of  campaign  songs. 

Among  the  broadsides  are  found,  in  addition  to 
songs,  many  contemporary  political  sheets;  a  number 


19 


The  McLellan  Lincoln  Collection 

of  ballots,  both  for  Lincoln  and  for  his  opponents; 
also  memorial  and  other  poems,  some  of  Lincoln's 
speeches,  various  facsimiles,  and  many  other  pieces. 
One  of  the  rarest  is  the  poster  issued  by  the  War 
Department  offering  $100,000  reward  for  the  capture 
of  Booth  and  other  conspirators.  This  has  spaces  at 
the  top  for  three  portraits,  but  they  were  never  inserted 
in  this  copy.  Another  rarity  is  a  genuine  hand-bill 
used  at  Ford's  theatre  the  night  Lincoln  was  shot. 
Of  a  different  kind  is  a  beautiful  etching  by  Bernhardt 
Wall,  of  Lincoln's  letter  to  Saml.  Haycraft,  May  28, 
i860. 

The  foregoing  sketch  gives  some  idea  of  the  scope 
of  the  Collection,  as  well  as  some  hint  of  the  rewards 
of  working  in  it.  It  is  being  kept  up  to  date  by  the 
addition  of  all  new  material  on  Lincoln  as  it  appears, 
and  also  by  the  filling  of  gaps  as  opportunity  offers. 
It  is  intended  that  it  shall  serve  scholars  of  the  North- 
eastern States  so  that  they  need  not  travel  to  Wash- 
ington or  Springfield  to  supply  their  needs.  On  the 
other  hand,  no  thorough  student  of  Lincoln  anywhere 
can  afford  to  neglect  the  riches  to  be  found  in  the 
MeLellan  Collection  at  Brown  University. 


20 


The  rooms  which  contain  the  Collection  are  two  of  a 
suite  of  three  on  the  top  floor  of  the  John  Hay  Library 
building.  The  third  room  forms  an  interesting  con- 
trast, as  it  contains  the  Hoffman  Napoleon  Collection. 
In  the  Lincoln  rooms  the  cases  and  furniture  are  of 
quartered  oak,  as  in  keeping  with  the  character  ot 
Lincoln.  The  third  room  is  panelled  in  mahogany  and 
furnished  in  the  style  of  the  Empire. 

The  two  Lincoln  rooms  are  lined  with  cases  having 
grilled  bronze  doors,  and  holding  the  books  and  pam- 
phlets. On  the  cases  are  many  small  busts  and  statues, 
also  bronze  bas-reliefs,  porcelains  and  other  small 
objects.  Opposite  the  doorway,  in  the  inner  room,  is  a 
niche  containing  the  Bartlett  statue.  In  this  room  is 
also  a  case  for  displaying  letters,  medals  and  other 
treasures.  On  the  walls  and  on  some  of  the  bookcase 
doors  are  hung  fine  engravings  of  Lincoln.  A  large 
table  and  other  conveniences  are  provided  those  using 
the  Collection. 


[2,] 


1 

I 

« 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS  URBANA 

973.7L63A3B81M  C001 

THE  MCLELLAN  LINCOLN  COLLECTION  AT  BROWN 


3  0112  031782086 


